"Aphra, what a coincidence. I remember you're from the design department, how come you're at the new employee training for the security department's C Department?"
It was the Siren girl Xu Xiaoyou had seen in the elevator before.
"Although my job is in design, I inevitably need to coordinate with everyone in the security department, so I came over to get familiar with the newcomers."
After the girl looked over, Aphra seemed a bit flustered, her voice getting smaller and smaller.
Senior Xu Nian is really good-looking, and his smile is so gentle. How could someone who looks so gentle belong to the security department, and be an A-grade?
She's heard about the methods of those A-grade employees, pulling all sorts of tricks to collect debts, a bunch of madmen walking the tightrope.
"No need to be nervous, I don't bite." Xu Xiaoyou teased.
"Hmm..."
Aphra sneaked a few more glances at the girl beside her, with her long golden hair and soft features, like a lake under the moonlight, calm and profound.
How come such a senior Xu Nian doesn't look like a ruthless madman at all, but rather like someone very yasashii?
Aphra's thoughts were in disarray, as if there were circles spinning above her head.
Xu Xiaoyou, of course, had no idea what the girl beside her was thinking and looked toward the stage.
A figure took the microphone, straightened up, and surveyed the chaotic scene below the stage with a scrutinizing gaze, frowning tightly, then suddenly shouted.
"Stop it all!"
The shout had a powerful penetration, like a howl of the head wolf, echoing through the venue, even causing the lights on the ceiling of the hall to flicker.
The noisy environment instantly quieted down, and countless new employees below the stage covered their ears in pain, while those who were drowsy were awakened with a start.
Xu Xiaoyou was glad she was seated far away; otherwise, her ears would definitely have been uncomfortable now.
With long hair at the temples, golden pupils contracting, sharp fangs, and a muscular build barely concealed by his suit.
Just standing there exuded an intimidating aura, causing the new employees below to tremble.
There was no mistake, the person was the department head of the security department, also a werewolf like Anya.
Werewolves are different from other animal races, quite different indeed.
Their social status is inherently superior even to apex predators like lions and tigers; in most of Nest City, werewolves are rulers, nobles, their long lifespans allowing them to possess wealth and connections far beyond ordinary races.
They are a race blessed by 'moonlight,' and when they embrace the moonlight under a full moon, they gain a stronger physique, greater agility, tougher bodies, and even a longer lifespan.
Thus, they are also known as the Moon Demon Race.
Xu Xiaoyou's evaluation was
— Inferior to humans.
The drawback of werewolves is that outside of a full moon, they are not much different from ordinary people, even growing slower.
The pinnacle of the pyramid of a Nest City is usually a race with such traits as werewolves, followed by other animal races, giants and ogres, and then at the bottom, ghouls, zombies, corpse eaters, and various green-skinned races.
Only humans exist outside the pyramid power structure.
Humans can be any part of this pyramid, from slaves to the top rulers.
If a famous scholar knew what Xu Xiaoyou thought, they would surely give her an eye roll.
Typical 'human supremacist' rhetoric.
On the bright side, humans are called balanced, indeed having no weak points compared to any race, not as clumsy or stupid as giants and ogres, nor as weak and feeble as green-skinned dwarves.
On the negative side, it means being mediocre with no highlights.
Anyway, Xu Xiaoyou refused to accept it.
Being as narcissistic as she is, she would never admit her human race is a mediocre one.
"Look at how you're acting!" the department head roared again. "This kind of order is ridiculous. People say that entering Cosmic Heavy Industries is almost equivalent to stepping into the doorway of the elite class; did you just show any signs of being elite?!"
With this roar from the department head, the new employees below the stage straightened up, some even showing signs of genuine self-reflection.
Here it comes, the classic PUA move.
First, elevate the opponent's status, then point to the collective, creating a sense of belonging, finally leveraging the gap to make the opponent feel ashamed and guilty toward the group.
From the beginning, Xu Xiaoyou noticed this guy lurking at the doorway, not coming in for quite a while until the chatter grew loud before he stepped inside.
The next step was to show authority, after establishing the group concept, instill the fear of being excluded from the group.
"I see you like this; why bother joining? You can all pack up and go home!"
This time, indeed, even the indifferent new employees below began to panic, their expressions showing anxiety.
Xu Xiaoyou chuckled.
For someone like her, it wasn't too effective, but for people in this Nest City, it worked wonders.
Some people living hand to mouth fought tooth and nail to get their entry ticket to Cosmic Heavy Industries, hoping to cross social classes and change their lives.
Before they could even start dreaming, they were told to pack up and leave; such words held tremendous destructive power.
This time, quite a few new employees below started whispering and even blaming each other.
What Xu Xiaoyou didn't expect was that Aphra beside her turned completely pale, fiddling with her fingers.
"It's okay, stay calm."
The girl couldn't listen to her words at all, looking fearful and anxious, murmuring uncontrollably:
"No... I don't want to go back to that place..."
Xu Xiaoyou gave up trying to convince her and looked at the figure on stage, already anticipating the next steps.
Pretending to be storming off, leaving everyone hanging for a while, until everyone reaches the peak of anxiety, then a 'good cop' would come out to ease the tension.
As expected, soon after, a white sheep woman walked in, her voice gentle:
"Everyone, don't mind how the supervisor seems; he's really doing it for your own good. I know you have worked hard to get in here, that you're not having an easy time, also having your families."
"I've talked with him, and we'll let it go this time. It's the company giving you this opportunity, and you should cherish it..."
Only then did most of the new employees below breathe a sigh of relief, genuinely grateful to the woman, while secretly resolving to contribute to the company!
Must it be so classic, Xu Xiaoyou quipped.
Then followed a torrent of grand aspirations, company visions, company benefits, the personal experiences of outstanding employees getting promoted and receiving salary increases, and so on.
The only surprise for Xu Xiaoyou was that the company wouldn't force employees to work overtime.
The training meeting lasted nearly two hours, and Xu Xiaoyou's ears were almost numb from hearing it all, when the girl next to her quietly poked her.
"What's up?"
"Senior, how did you know it would be fine?"